Highway vision device



Feb. 27, 1940. R. M. COOLEY v2,191,553

HIGHWAY VISION fiEvlcE Filed Sept. 8, 1936 Patented Feb. 27,194 n 2,191,558-

UNITED "STATES; PATENT OFFICE I 2,191,558 HIGHW Y vision DEVICE ash Mommy, st. Paul, Minn. v"Application September 8, 1936',- Serial No. 99,686

' f s Glaims. (01. 88 -78) My invention relates to an'improvement in a t Figure 2 is a plan View of the highway illushighway vision device, of a type designed to protrated inFig-ure 1, showing the line of vision provide a clear view of the highway to he travelled by vi'ded by my device.v

a car, regardless of the curve or change in eleva- Figure 3 is aplan View of a highway, which'may 5 tion of the. highway. be that shown in Figure 1, in which the highway 5 I have found that a great number of accidents not only passes over a blind hill,- but alsoextends which occur on highways .are duet'o one car pass around a curve. v ing another on a blind "hill or while travelling Figure 4 is a plan view of-a form of my device around a curve. Many other accidents are caused indicated in Figure 1, showing the position of the by cars approaching a railway crossing at a mirrors therein in dotted lines.

high rate of speed, so that it is impossible to stop Figure 5 is a cross-sectional'view throughithe. in time to avoid hitting a train crossing-the device as shown in Figure 4, disclosing the posihighway. Various warning signals have been protion of the mirrors.

videdyhut these are costly to maintain, and apt While rather specific construction is shown, it

to fail 'mechanically when needed. Legislation is to be understoodthat this construction doubt- 15 has been passed making it illegal to passother less must be modified to conform with various cars on blind hills or on curves, and requiring state regulations and laws, and to agree with cars to stop before crossing a railway right of specifications proposed by various railroads. Forway; but it is extremelydiflicult to enforce these this reason, the constructionis shown as an illuslaws, and such accidents continue unabated. tration of the'manner in which. the mirrors may 20 It is the purpose of the present invention to be arranged. For this reason also. the specific provide a simple means which will permit a detail of the supporting standard is not provided; motorist to have a clear view of the highway forthis construction is widely different-in var- ,for some considerable distance over a blind hill, ious states, some requiring all steel frame con-v around a blind corner, orto view approaching struction and other states preferring Wooden 25 trains in spite of blind crossings. This device standardsf v i works on the periscopic principle, with mirrors The vision device A is shown in Figures 1 and 2 so'arranged to provide a clear view. constructed to straddle'a highway, having sup- It is m object t provide ns, hi h is porting standard means lfl'which elevate the depreferably enclosed to admit-a minimum of light, vice above the necessary height for providing 30 in which mirrors'are. arranged in such a manner clearance for all vehicles which might pass under that a line of sight is provided for, a motorist the same. With respect to the car! I shown atthe climbing one side of a hill of a path onthe other left of the highway line l2, the line I I represents side of the hill. I have found that it is usually the normal line'of vision of the driver. It will be possible to obtain a view of several hundred feet noted that'the driver cannot see a vehicle ap- 35 along a highway which would otherwise be enproaching t crest I3'Of the highway 12 until tirely hidden-from view by the crest of th hill. such a vehicle. is almost at the crestof the hill. 1

It is also my object to provide a means compris- The line l4, however, shows the line of vision of 'ing a series of enclosed mirrors which will prothe driver into the vision device A, which is re- 40 videa line otsightof several hundred feet of' flected by the mirror l5 to the mirror It. The 40 highway about a blind curve ,jor turn which would line l4 continues from the mirror IE to the car otherwi e be entirely concealed from view. The I l, approaching the crest l3 of the highway l2 device is of such size to provide a view of atleast from the opposite direction. The car I! is. shown one side of the highway, so that a motorist ap at the extreme right of- Figures 1 and 2. The line preaching the crest of a blind hill or turn Will H" indicates the-normal line of vision of the 4&5

be able to see at a glance the condition of the driver of car l'l. highway on the other side of the-hilly It is accordingly-obvious that the driver of These and other objects and novel ieaturesof either car H or I! may see, along the line of 1 my invention will be more clearly and fully set vision M, the other car approaching the'crest forth in the following specification-and claims. of the hill. This line of vision M changes of 50 i In the drawing forming'a part of my specificacourse, with the position of the cars H and H; tion: I but the size of the mirrors I5 and I6 is such as to Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation view maintain the line of vision for several feet on of a highway leading over a blind hill, illustrating either side of the crest 13 of the hill. i

the line of vision provided by my device. i It willbe noted that the mirrors l5 and it are 55 mirrors l5 and it at the proper angles, the line of vision l9 may be reflected by these mirrors from one car 20 at the extreme left of the View approaching the curve and the crest of the'hill to the other car 22 at the extreme right of the view approaching the crest l3 from the opposite direction. Thus a view ofone'of these cars may be obtained by the driver of the oppositely trav-- elling car, regardless of the blind hill, andirrespective of any trees, such as are indicated at 23, which would otherwise conceal the cars from each other.

The device A may be formed as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawing. fication, the device A is formed in a box-like enclosure having a top 2%, a bottom 25, and side walls 26 and 21. The line of vision it enters the left end of the enclosure near the bottom 25 thereof, and is reflected by a mirror it near the right hand end of the enclosure, as seen in Figure 5. The line M continuesto the mirror i6, mounted near the left hand end of the enclosure, and passes out of the enclosure near the bottom 25 thereof at the right hand end thereof. Ends 23 and 2e are formed on the enclosure, extending from the top 24 to a point spaced sumciently from the bottom 25 to provide a clear view of the mirrors. These ends 28 and 29 conceal the rear surfaces of the mirrors l5 and I8, and act as a protection for these mirrors from rain, sleet and snow. These ends 28 and 29 also keep a large amount of light from entering the enclosure: as it is preferable to keep the inside of-the enclosure as. dark as possible for the best possible vision through the device. A baffle Mlmounted centrally in the enclosure prevents light from passing entirely through the enclosure; andth-e line of vision M extends above this central bafile.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation and construction of'my devices. In making this description, I have disclosed various forms of my device which represents the types of construction which may be used. .Idesire to have it understood that these forms are shown-and described in detail only as a means of pointing out my invention, and that shapes and sizes of these units must be changed to suit the various individual problems which must be met. I therefore desire to point out that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claimsv without departing from the spiritof my invention.

In this modi-' I claim:

1. A vision device comprising a tubular housing having open ends, means for mounting said housing adjacent a highway with its longitudinal axis, substantially parallel to the center line of the highway, the top of said housing being longer at the otherend of the housing, reflected to the mirror at the first mentioned end of the housing, and reflected by the last mentioned mirror through the said other end of the housing.

2.. A vision device comprising a tubular housing having open ends, means for mountingsaid housing adjacent a highway with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the center line of the highway, a mirror mounted transversely across each end of said housing with its'reflecting surface facing. the interior of the housing, each of said mirrors being of such dimensions and so positioned as to permit light rays entering the adjacent end of the housing to pass between an edge of the mirror and the adjacent wall of the housing, the relative positions of the mirrors being such that light rays entering one end ofthe housing are received by the mirror at the other end of the housing, reflected to the mirrorat the first mentioned end of the housing, and reflected by the last mentioned mirror'through the said other end of the housing.

3. A vision device comprising a tubular housing having open ends, means for mounting said housing adjacent a highway with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the center line of the highway, a mirror mounted transversely across each end of said housing with its reflecting surface facing the interior of the housing, each of said mirrors being of such dimensions and so positioned as to permit light rays enterof each of said mirrors, said baffle means being of such dimensions and so positioned as to permit light rays entering the adjacentend of the housing to pass between an edge of said baille means and the adjacent wall of the housing.

RALPH. M. COOLEY. 

